Keeping up the fastest of paces

Di Maharaj, 46, is focused and determined as he prepares to start a volley… (PHOTO BY GARY CURRERI, Sun…)

December 25, 2012|By Gary Curreri, Special Correspondent

Di Maharaj knows that the point can be won or lost in the blink of an eye. Every move is sudden, and even the smallest of mistakes can be critical to the outcome of a volley.

That's the beauty of table tennis for the North Lauderdale man and his family. Together with his children Dylita, 14, and Shiva, 9, Di is a frequent and enthusiastic participant in the monthly tournaments at the Broward Table Tennis Club in Dania Beach.

Maharaj has been playing table tennis for the past 37 years and loves every aspect of the sport.

"In the process of winning, you have to enjoy the battle," he said. "You have to enjoy the exchange of energy and the competitive zeal. If you don't, then winning becomes an event instead of an experience."

Teresa Terranova is in her third year of operating the club at 11 SW 12th Ave. in Dania Beach. The facility utilizes 18 tables and two robot tennis tables. It is open every day, and there is an open division and a program for juniors. Clinics are staged on weekends.

"Right now, table tennis is one of the hottest raging sports in the country," said Terranova, who was a double gold medalist in table tennis at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics and a bronze medalist at the 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta) Paralympics Games. She was also a world champion and ranked No. 1 internationally for nine years.

Terranova was among six people recently inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame. She was the lone woman in the group that included Charles Johnson Jr., Bob Brudzinski, Carlos Giron, Richard Hofman and Stu Marvin.

"The sport is exploding," said Terranova, adding that the most recent tournament attracted 120 participants. "You can play from 5 years old to 80 years old."

The club averages about 100 competitors for its monthly tournaments. Terranova is training three athletes hoping to make the Paralympics and three Olympic hopefuls.

"There are (no skill requirements)," she said. "It is a sport that anyone can play."

Both Di Maharaj and his daughter, Dylita, are the reigning state champions in the Under-3,600 point event, which is one of the scoring levels in table tennis.

Maharaj, originally from Trinidad, has a table in the garage at home, and the family uses it as part of their learning process.

"We use it as a reference at home for everything, especially their schoolwork," said Maharaj, who is ranked second in the state in the Under-2,300 point category. He has a 2,269 rating. "The discipline and dedication needed to excel in one craft can be applied to academics."

Di Maharaj emphasized that table tennis requires a sharp mind and good reflexes, along with the need to be focused and determined.

"I like the international aspect," said Maharaj, 46. "People from all (walks of life) get together and have fun. It is a family affair for me because I have my daughter and I have my son playing it. Together, it is healthy and it is good competition."

Dylita Maharaj, a freshman at Coconut Creek High School, has been playing table tennis just two years but has already accumulated a 1,469 rating.

"I love the adrenaline rush," she said after finishing second in a recent 1,800-point rated tournament. "It feels like I am flying. I love every point. It is all about the fight. It feels like nothing can stop me, like I am unstoppable."

Another table tennis-playing family who competed in the recent tourney included Fort Lauderdale's David Gmach, 47, his son, Gal, 14, and his daughter, Maili, 11.

"I like that I get to play other people higher than me, and it is a good experience," said Maili Gmach, who attends Attucks Middle School and usually trains twice a week. She has a rating of 1,202. "It's cool that you are playing people who are older than you, and someday I hope to play in the Olympics."

Like his sister, Gal Gmach, has been playing the sport for a little more than two years. His ranking is 1,872.

Gal Gmach placed second in a tournament in New Jersey this past summer and in the process earned a spot on the United States junior team (ages 14-17) that will play in the 2013 Maccabi Games in Tel Aviv, Israel, in July.

For more information about the Broward Table Tennis Club, call 954-849-5436.